Bitter Memories
by ZoneRobotnik
Summary: Six years after the events in "Wounded Pride", Near is having nightmares about B again. Then he gets abducted to Thailand and a Death Note is dropped on him by none other than Yagami Light! Things are going in circles again, how will the new L cope?
1. The New L

Slender, strong hands flipped through an empty, black notebook that read "Death Note" on the cover. Brown eyes glinted with excitement as they shifted to look at a woman that was coming in from work. She looked stressed out, and she was the perfect test-subject; the exact thing that the new Shinigami needed to test out his new Death Note. He could see her name perfectly, and pulled out a ballpoint pen from his pocket, bringing it to the paper.

_Ayane Marissa_

_Dies of heart-attack in her living room, caused by stress, at 10:15am on the 17__th__ of October._

The Shinigami grinned, and then shut the notebook, watching eagerly. The clock had just tuned 10:15am, and he grinned as she gasped in pain and fell, her life-expectancy counter splitting in half. He chuckled to himself, then walked off o go back to the dismal house he shared with Ryuk – if you could call it a house.

"Ah, Light. Home already?" Ryuk said from where he sat on the bed lazily.

The Shinigami, formally known as both Kira and Yagami Light, held up the Death Note he'd just used. "Just got it; it works splendidly!" He said happily, and then he walked over and put the Death Note on the table, tossing his silky, brown hair as he looked at Ryuk. "I feel so good, and so much stronger!"

"Well, yeah. That's what happens when you take someone's life-span." Ryuk said, shrugging. "So, what'cha gonna do now?"

"Now?" He chuckled. "I'm going to go take care of some unfinished business."

"Unfinished business?" Ryuk sat up. "Can I come along?"

"If you want." He said, and then walked out of the house. "Let's get some apples while we're out, Ryuk!"

*~*~*

While this conversation was going on, a white-haired young-adult was tossing in turning in his bed, plagued by nightmares he hadn't had in so many years. He clutched at the blankets, his soft cries muffled, and then his gray eyes shut open and he sat up, breathing heavily. His eyes shifted around, and then he looked up at the slightly ajar door. "Who's there?"

"Are you okay, Near?" A soft voice asked as a brown-haired teenage girl came into the room, clutching a sketchbook to her chest. She was in her nightgown, but she was drawing in her room when she heard his thrashing about. "Do you need anything?"

The young adult, Near, breathed out a sigh of relief and brought a hand to his face. "…Water." He said softly, his eyes closing as he tried to compose himself. This had to be the third month in a row that he had that nightmare, and it was starting to show by how exhausted he looked every day.

She nodded, then walked over and poured him a glass of water from a pitcher on the table. "Was it Ryuuzaki again?" She asked, walking over and handing him the glass. "Or, was it Kira, this time?"

"Both." He shuddered and then downed the water in one gulp. "Thank you, Linda." He nodded to her, handing her the glass to put on the table.

"Beyond Birthday and Yagami Light are both dead, though." She walked over and fluffed up his pillow before helping him lie down again. "There's no need to be scared, Near."

"I really don't know about those two…" He mumbled. "The report said that Beyond Birthday died in jail by a heart attack, but there was no picture put out to the public for Yagami Light to see. What if he's not dead?" He brought his hands up, gripping his short hair. "Who knows what he'll do to me for taking L's title!"

Linda sighed and reached over to pull his hands down to rest on his lap. "You don't need to be so scared, Near. And especially not of those two! Just stop thinking about it, and you'll be fine. Yagami Light has been dead for three months now, you know! There's no need to be so scared of a memory!"

Near nodded, then lay down and curled up slightly. "Thank you, Linda. You can go back to sleep, now." He said softly, grateful for the lack of cases big enough to drag him in. 'Still…' He thought, closing his eyes. 'Three months ago is when I first remembered that horrible incident…'

Linda turned and left the room. "Good night, Near." She said as she closed his bedroom door.

Near waited until she was in her room, then sat up and undid his shirt, looking at a scar on his upper-arm. "At least I remember where this came from, now…" He mumbled, running a hand over it. Then he closed his shirt and pulled over a laptop, looking over the news for something, _anything_ to take his mind off of the nightmares. After a bit of not finding anything, he closed the laptop and curled up to fall into a fitful slumber again, unaware of brown eyes watching him as he slept.

"So, this is your unfinished business?" Ryuk cackled. "Why not just kill him in his sleep?"

"Why should I be so dishonorable? He beat me fairly, so I will be just as fair to him." He grinned. "I'll wait until he's doing a case that will make him beg for death. Then I'll give him what he wants." Light moved over and moved a hand to brush aside Near's bangs, so he could see his face. "Sleep well, Nate Rivers." He said softly, looking up at the name above the young-adult's head.

Near shifted in his sleep, feeling something move his hair, and Light moved away, watching as the young-adult albino went back into his deep slumber.

The next morning, Linda came into the room to find Near already dressed for work – which was baggy, light-blue pants and a white pajama-top, but that was Near's style – and leaned over to see what he was looking at. "Anything to work on today?"

"No." He continued typing something up, not even looking up at her.

"Want some tea?" She smiled.

He glanced up at her. "Sure. I'm good with any flavor."

She nodded, then turned and left the room, but paused. "Near, can we go out to the park today?"

"Do we have to?" He looked up at her.

"We haven't gone in a long time! Pleeeeaaaase?" She leaned against the doorway, her big, brown eyes looking at him pleadingly.

"Linda." He lowered the laptop's lid slightly.

"Yes?" She came in again.

"How long have you known me?" He put the laptop aside.

"…Most of our lives? About 14 years, I think." She stood in front of him as he moved to get off the bed.

"And, in those 14 years, have I ever given into pouts or begging?" He raised an eyebrow.

She sighed. "Is that a 'no', then?"

He thought a bit. "Well, there are no cases…" He reached over and shut the laptop fully. "Alright, go make the tea while I find my boots."

She nodded, and then ran out of the room. Near sighed and shook his head as he walked over to closet and reached in to pull out a box. He took out a few different items, and then pulled out white boots, pulling them out with a roll of the eyes. Then he closed the box, putting everything back in it, and put it back in the deep depths of the closet.

"I don't know why I let her talk me into this…" He mumbled. "I haven't been outside in months." He reached over for a hat and pulled it on over his face, hiding himself from prying eyes. "Watari never made L go outside as much as she tries to get me to, is it a girl thing?"

"Near, the tea's ready, come on down!"

He stood up and walked out, grabbing a robot toy as he left the room. Who knows, maybe something will come up while he's gone? He went into the main room of the house he and his assistant, Linda, resided in. While Linda wouldn't be his first choice for an assistant, Mello had taken Matt with him to the grave about four months ago, and no one else in Whammy's House was good enough. Linda would have to do.

She looked up as he came down, smiling as he sat down on the couch. "Near, lookie! I got a new apron!" She said, spreading her arms wide so he could see it.

He stared blankly at her, then reached over and grabbed a book, as if to say "I'm not interested in that" to her. He heard a slight huff, but didn't look about – this silent treatment was something she was used to, so he didn't wanna bother changing it.

"Here's your tea." She handed him the cup, and Near took it, taking a sip. "How is it?"

"It's tea." He said calmly, and then went back to his book as he drank his tea. The sound of a cartoon caught his ear and he looked up to see that Linda had turned on the T.V. and was just flipping channels. "What are you doing?"

"You're not talking to me, so I'm trying to—oh, geez, you'd think they'd just accept the fact that he's not coming back." She stopped flipping and listened to Kira worshippers rant about how Kira, their Savior, would return and save the world from criminals--blah-blah-blah.

Near stood up and set the book down, sipping his tea quietly as he listened to the rants. While Kira was gone, he still wanted to see how much longer people would worship him before they accepted that he was gone. The world leaders were told of his death, but the world was not planning on giving up on him yet. He scoffed and set the tea down before he walked over to grab the remote and shut off the T.V. "Pathetic." He mumbled.

"They're not gonna give up, are they?" Linda stood up. "Well, I'm gonna go pack a picnic lunch, Near!" She skipped off to the kitchen, humming as she set to work. "Near, you want jam?"

"Not strawberry." Near said, looking over at her.

"I know!" She said, closing the fridge. "Geez, we don't even HAVE strawberry jam, Near! Why would I put it in the sandwiches?"

"Just reminding you." Near said emotionlessly as he looked out the window. It was sunny, too sunny, and he was glad for the hat he'd grabbed. He then walked over and sat on a chair, one leg up to his chest while the one hung down to the floor.

Linda came out a bit later with the basket. "You like fruit, right?" She looked at him, aware of one of the apples being grabbed and eating by thin air.

Near nodded, then raised an eyebrow and walked over to look at the basket. Was that just…nah, couldn't be. That Shinigami had no more business with him, and he wouldn't come here just to steal an apple. He was seeing things. "We'll go when you're ready." He said dully.

She nodded. "Do you need the hat, Near?" She pouted.

"As the new L, I have to hide my face at all times." He said, repeating something he'd said to her several times already. "Besides, it's bright outside." He added, walking over to the door and opening it.

She smiled. "So, are we walking, or do we need to take a taxi?"

"I think you need to stop failing the driver's test so you can drive the car." He walked down the sidewalk, and Linda quickly locked up before skipping along after him, the basket in her hands.

They got to the park, and Near sat down on the blanket she'd spread out for them while she went to go play with a puppy. He amused himself by counting how many apples were devoured while she was gone, and then he looked up at her as she came over. "You didn't bring apples."

"Wha—I did!" She looked in the basket, and only one was left. "What on earth is going on?!"

Near shrugged, then grabbed the last apple, cutting it into pieces that they shared. "At least the ghost that took the other apples doesn't eat sandwiches."

"Just to be safe, let's eat." She said, handing him the food she'd made for him.

Above them, Light was looking at Ryuk with an expression of disbelief. "You alerted him to your presence, you idiot!"

"Why not?" He grinned. "You're dead, why would I be following you around anymore?"

Light grumbled, but left the argument and looked back at Near. "Who's that girl, anyway? He's not calling her by her real name, is she from Whammy's House?"

Ryuk shrugged.

Near stood up and helped Linda clean up the picnic site before he followed her over to the playground. "Linda, how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen." She grinned. "I can still get on a swing, can't I?" She skipped over and then sat on a swing. "Neeeaaaar, come over here and push me!"

"You have legs." He sat down by the picnic basket and started to take apart the robot toy, ignoring her whining as he carefully put it back together.

"C'mon, Near! Stop playing with the robot and play with me!" She pouted and kicked her legs on the swing.

He stood up and picked up the basket as he walked over, then set the basket down to push her, backing away so she wouldn't hit him as she came back towards him. "This has no point." He mumbled, twirling a lock of hair with his hand, his eyes half-closed in boredom. "Let's go home, something may have come up."

Linda dragged her shoes on the ground and got off the swing. "Okay." She said, obediently following him back home. "I wonder where all the apples went?"

Near looked at the basket. "Who knows, maybe a ghost ate them."

"A ghost? Did you see it?" Linda blinked.

"No, I didn't see anything." Near half-lied. True, he hadn't _seen_ the Shinigami, but he had seen the apples get eaten.

"Hm…" She unlocked the door and then they went in, Near going back up to his room to go to his laptop. "Near, bring down the laptop, okay?"

"Right." He nodded, then walked over and started to unplug the laptop so he could move it downstairs. '"Ryuk", I think his name was. What does he want with me? This is the second time I've seen him today, within the space of an hour!' He thought, carrying the laptop out of the room. 'This is…unnerving.' Despite his thoughts, though, he looked as calm and composed as ever.

On the way out of the room, though, he suddenly cried out and dropped the laptop case with a THUMP, attracting Linda's attention, and he looked at his hand, which was bleeding. "…"

"Oh my gosh, Near!" Linda ran over and looked at his hand. "What happened to your hand?!"

"…I don't know." He knelt to pick up the laptop case with his other hand, following Linda to the bathroom so she could clean the wound and look at the damage caused. "I think I'm going to take nap after you get this cleaned up. Let me know if anything comes up."

She nodded, cleaning the wound and blinked when she found what looked like a stab wound. "Near, when did this happen?"

"…I don't know." He said, looking at it with wide eyes. In truth, he _did_ know, but to tell Linda would be to tell her of his past, which he had never told anyone. She seemed to buy it, though, so he let her bandage his hand before he went back to his room, leaving the laptop with her.

*~~**~~**~~*

Okay, so this is the sequal to "Wounded Pride" and takes place when Near is 17, shortly after the Kira case. As you can see, there will be some Light invovement, as well as a few extra things I made up for Near's baskstory.

And he's living with Linda. Oh joy, she's almost as bad as Misa with how excitable she is.

Review, please! If you do, I'll make you an imaginary cookie!


	2. Fear

Near moved quickly back to the room and then shut the door behind him, leaning against it as he held up his hand. "…Why now, of all times? I'm almost eighteen, wasn't I supposed to take their place when I was sixteen?" He lowered his hand. "Geez, and all of these nightmares…"

He walked over and climbed onto the bed, lying down and curling up. "I really need to stop focusing on the past, it's going to get in the way of my work." He said to himself, closing his eyes.

Light watched from above him, then glanced at the window as it was slowly opened and what looked like a black-haired Near with long hair and cold, brown eyes came in and approached the bed. "Well, this looks interesting." Light grinned. "'Ammador Rivers'…"

Ammador gently pulled Near into his arms and stroked his hair lovingly, then kissed his cheek. "Nate…it's been too long…" He whispered, and then he got off the bed and went over to the window, which was propped open by a pole. He gently pushed Near out the window and onto a soft cousin set outside the window. Then he slipped out and landed next to him, pulling the pole away to shut the window. "Time to go home."

Light let out a wolf-whistle. This guy may just be the person he was hoping Near would run into, the one to make him beg and cry and scream that he wanted to die. It was clear that this other Rivers guy had impure intentions, but he wasn't gonna kill him – not yet. Not until Nate Rivers was dead.

Light and Ryuk followed the duo all the way to a car that Ammador shoved Near into, and then Light looked at Ryuk. "Where do you think they're going?" He then looked over as Linda, the girl Near was with, let out a scream of worry. Shrugging, he led the way to follow the car.

Hours later, Near woke up to find himself in a strange bed. Or, maybe it wasn't strange, but familiar. He gasped and sat up, looking around the all-white room. Near the bed was a picture of three people, and Near felt tears slip down his cheeks as he recognized him and his parents. "…Why am I in Thailand? Is this another nightmare?" He whispered, and then he wiped away the tears and slipped off the bed, looking around.

"Nate Rivers."

He froze in fear and looked at his bedroom door, blinking as he saw a black-haired him. No…it was different…he knew him… He slowly stood up and walked towards the stranger, his lips moving to form a word he hadn't spoken in years, many years.

"Ammador."

The stranger smiled widely and reached out a hand to the small male. "That's right, little cousin. I brought you home." He caught Near's wrist and pulled him close. "You haven't changed a bit, have you? You're still dressed in mostly whites, and still so beautiful." He kissed his forehead, then stroked his cheek. "But, look at you. You're so quiet, and so much more mature." His smile changed to a smirk and he moved hand down Near's body. "How much have you matured, I wonder?" He purred.

Near gasped and pushed away from him, glaring at him in disgust. "Leave me alone, Ammador! Take me back home!"

"You ARE home, though." He grinned.

"No, this isn't my home anymore! My home is where you took me away from, now TAKE ME BACK!" He yelled, running to lunge at him.

"Too slow and foolish, Nate." Ammador dodged to the side and let Near slam into the wall outside the room. "Ouch, that looks like it hurt!"

Near slowly got up and then closed his eyes before looking at his despicable cousin with eyes that held no emotion. Ammador scowled and smacked him across the face. "Don't look at me like that, Nate!"

"Not Nate Rivers…" Near said calmly. "I am Near. I am with L. L is Justice." He glared at him. "I am not one of the Chosen."

"Wha—are you saying you're a traitor to Khaos, Nate Rivers?" Ammador growled.

"'Khaos' is as much a god as Kira." Near said calmly.

"Take that back, Nate! Or, I'll make you wish you HAD!" He slammed him into the wall, his cold, brown eyes glaring into Near's emotionless, gray ones.

"I won't." Near looked at him with no emotion.

Ammador glared at him a bit longer, then smirked before he started to laugh, his hands still on Near's shoulders. Then his grip tightened and his long nails dug in, Near wincing as he felt a scar being pushed against by the claw-like nails as Ammador's head moved next to Near's "Then, prepare for pain." He whispered. "Because you know full well what we do to traitors, Nate Rivers."

"I'm not afraid." Near said calmly.

"You will be." He pulled away, then turned and left the hallway as he went downstairs, leaving Near alone against the wall.

Near waited until he heard the front door slam shut before he slumped to the floor, curled up with his knees to his chest. "I don't want to be back here…" He whispered softly, and then looked at his bandaged hand. How many scars did he have on his body, now? How many times had be been kidnapped? Well, technically, this would be the second time, but Kira kidnapped him in his dreams and Ryuuzaki kept on—why did he keep calling him that? He was Backup, B, Beyond Birthday—DEAD, so it didn't matter!

He pushed himself to his feet and clenched his fists. "Don't be scared. Khaos is just another wanna-be god, he can't do anything to hurt you." Heck, unlike Kira, there was no proof that Khaos even existed, so he was even less of a god than Kira! He went back to him bedroom and sat down on the bed, sighing as he grabbed the picture. "_maan__M__ daa__M(Mother)_…_bi__L__ daa__M(Father)_…" He curled up with it in his arms. "_hai__F__ a__L__ phai__M(Forgive)_ _gra__L__ phohm__R(me)_…"

Light looked down at him, blinking. "Ryuk, what's he saying?"

"Do I look like one of those dictionaries to you?" Ryuk cackled. "Ask him."

"No, it's too early to show myself!" He shook his head.

"Suit yourself." Ryuk shrugged.

Near sighed and put the picture aside, then closed his eyes, steeling his nerves for what he knew was to come. The last person he saw being a traitor was tortured until he gave in to their commands – gave in to believing in Khaos's power. He opened his eyes, then walked over and opened the window, looking out it to look around.

Thailand hadn't changed – it was still the same Thailand he was born in. He recognized a few people that he could see from here, but didn't want to try for what would be an unpleasant reunion. No, right now he was thinking of escape routes. He glanced over his shoulder, however, when the door opened, and then blocked the blindfold that was coming at him with an arm, kicking his cousin in the gut.

Hey, he hadn't endured all of Mello's bullying for nothing, and he was a fast learner. Obviously not expecting that, Ammador flew back and hit the ground before he got back up, growling. Near took a defensive stance, unaware of the second person creeping up to the window. The last thing he saw before everything went black was Ammador running over, and then he felt a sharp pain in his gut before he slumped over into his cousin's arms, unconcious.

When he next awoke, he was in a strange bed, and his wrists and ankles were chained. With great difficulty, he manged to move himself up slightly so he could look around. He heard footsteps and then Near's eyes narrowed in pure loathing as he recognized the Shaman of Khaos – the one that usually punished people and forced them to give it to the religion.

"Nate Rivers…" He purred, walking over. He held out a hand and gently stroked Near's cheek, and Near jerked away in disgust. "I hear tell that you have been unfaithful to our God, and Ia m here to hear you say it isn't so." He grabbed a bunch of Near's hair and yanked his head up to look him in the eyes. "That IS not so, right?"

"I have forsaken that false god." Near hissed through clenched teeth. "And I don't intend on ever going back!" He snapped, his eyes narrowed in fury. "You can torture me all you want; I will not break!"

"I see." The man sighed and then strokd Near's cheek again."Such a pity…you held such promise…" He said softly, and then his hand suddenly shot out and smacked the young-adult, knocking him back as the chains rattles. "INSOLENT, UNGRATEFUL BEAST! YOU'RE LUCKY THAT KHAOS DOES NOT STRIKE YOU DOWN WHERE YOU STAND!"

"Call me what you want, it won't faze me." Near said calmly, trying to ignore the stinging pain on his cheek.

"Nate, you are making me very angry." The Shaman growled, and then he grinned. "But, I take comfort in the fact that you're helpless and can't escape me." He reached lower, his fingers undoing Near's shirt. "Let's see how badly I can break you."

"Oh, shit. Not watching this." Light retreated from the room, Ryuk following suit.

Near struggled in the chains, glaring up at the Shaman. "Let go of me you—hnn!" He clenched his fists, trying to fight back any feeling of pleasure he was feeling while the Shaman was stroking his cock. "Stop it!"

The Shaman chuckled, then reached over to undo the chains, one arm going around Near's waist. Near hit his shoulder, but he didn't care and forced Near onto his stomach, one hand pinning him while the other unfastened the albino's jeans. "So lively, Nate! I wonder how long you can endure?" He nuzzled him and then pulled down Near's jeans, chuckling at his protests. "Bad boys get punished."

"You're sick! Let go of me, you sick fr—aahh!" He clawed at the bedsheets, hissing in pain as he was forced into. "St—ooooop!"

"Nope." The Shaman smiled. "Traitors are punished, Nate Rivers."

"Nn—Near!" He snapped. "L-Let me go!" He clawed even more, groaning in pain. "Stop!"

"No, Nate. I'm not going to let you go. I will make you beg for mercy." He got faster and rougher, purring at the sound of Near's cries.

A few hours later, Near shiffted on the bed, his eyes closed tightly in pain. He had held out, hadn't begged even once, but he couldn't help but imagine Ryuuzaki being the one hitting and raping him. It had never happened, but god damnit, he was going to end up dreaming that as well as Kira and BB torturing him. Just. Great.

*~~**~~**~~*

In case you're wondering, Khaos is a heathen god I made up, and I'm not sure if Khaos actually exists or not. Still working on that. And, as you can see, I made him come from Thailand – which is going through some sort of Ice Age, appearently… - and made him have a freaky cousin and nice parents that died.

Review, please! Or Near will never get out of here!


	3. Kira

As if he didn't have enough nightmares as it—what was that? He sat up and looked around, then blinked when he saw a black notebook that said "Death Note" in the cover lying on his leg. Frowning, he reached over and picked it up, then opened it to find only one name. 'Okay, so this isn't Ryuk's notebook. Whose is it, the—' He was cut off by a shockingly familiar voice cutting through the silence.

"Hello, Near. Or, should I call you 'Nate Rivers'? Everyone around here is doing it." Light said, leaning against the wall as he looked at him.

"…Kira." Near put the notebook down. "Is this yours?"

"Yep. I've come to give you a hand." He clapped and then chuckled. "No, really, I'm here to offer you freedom from all this torture. There's a spot in that Death Note for your name, you know. There always has been." He walked over and reached out a hand to cup Near's cheek. "But, I'm not going to take your life unfairly. After all, you _did_ beat me."

"So, why are you holding back?" Near pulled away from his hand. "And call me 'Near'." He looked away, but glanced at the murderer.

"Because you beat me, so I'm going to be nice to you." He smirked and sat on the bed next to him. "Let's see…you've been raped, beaten, and it sounds like a lot more is going to come your way." He looked at him. "So, how about this? When you can't stand it anymore, yell 'kill me' and I'll save you from the agony you're facing by putting an end to your life." He smirked.

"While death does sound like an interesting retreat, I do not intend on dying any time soon." He looked around. "Where's that 'Ryuk'?"

Light jerked a thumb to a corner of the room. "Over there, watching. I told him not to eat your apples, but he did it anyway!"

"So, which of you messed with my hair yesterday night?" He smiled and then slowly stood up, going over to a drawer nearby. Inside was fabric and a sewing kit, and he smirked a bit. "Wow, they must either be stupid or think I'm too weak to make one." He pulled out what he would need and started to make a cloth doll of the Shaman, humming as he did.

"That was me. And what are you doing?" Light raised an eyebrow.

"I would've thought it was obvious." Near said as he sewed. "I'm sewing."

"I didn't know you could sew."

"There's a lot you don't know about me." He said, glancing at him. "What are you looking at?"

Light reached out a hand to lightly touch a scar on the albino boy's upper-arm. "…Where'd this come from?"

"Oh, Kira killed your memories?" He pulled away. "Nice to know I'm the only one burdened by them." He finished making the doll, then grabbed a strand of hair off of the bed, the Shaman's hair, and started to weave it in. "I wonder if there's any of Yagami Light left." He said dully, working on his project. "Hey, I have a question."

Light stood up and looked at him. "A question?"

Near nodded, putting the doll in his lap. "…Did you kill Beyond Birthday?"

"I don't know that name, and it's weird enough it would've stood out." He scoffed. "Why?"

"He's not dead, then." Near looked back at the doll, then got up and stuck it back in the drawer. "The report was a lie…"

Light shrugged, then went over to join Ryuk. "Hey, Ryuk? Did I kill someone named 'Beyond Birthday'?"

"Nope." Ryuk grinned. "Why is he asking?"

"Why are you asking?" He looked at Near.

"Ryuuzaki. I was eleven. He kidnapped Yagami Light from school and used him as bait, just as he used me. L came and saved us…" He looked down. "Yagami Light and I…were friends."

"Yeah, well, the old Light is dead." Light scoffed, then he opened his notebook. "Feel like dying yet?"

"No." Near reached over and started to mend his torn shirt. "You don't have any of that memory?"

"Nope." He shrugged. "Sorry, Nate."

"Near."

"Nate Rivers." He chided at him, and then looked over as they heard someone coming in. From the sound of the voice, it was the Shaman again. "What's he want now?"

Near reached in the drawer and then held out a hand. "Kira, your pen. Quickly."

He frowned. "I'm not writing his name down for you, Near!"

"No, I need something to—ohh!" He grabbed a sewing needle and stabbed the doll in the chest, and then winced at the Shaman's dying scream of pain. As if to confirm it, Light went over to see if he still had a life-expectancy.

"Whoa…" He looked at Near. "Forget detective, you'd make an awesome criminal, and no one could prove it was you!" He grinned and went over to him. "What WAS that?" Maybe there was something gained in keeping Near alive, after all! He'd never seen such a nasty way of killing!

"I don't like doing that." He walked over and grabbed a black cloak that the Shaman was carrying. "Now, don't talk to me. I have to get out quietly." He pulled the hood over himself and hid every feature, even his clothes, as he slipped out.

*~~**~~**~~*

Yes, Kira is not stalking Near, and Near killed a person right in front of Kira. Voodoo is a scary thing to dabble in, and it just happens to be one of things Near's good at. W00t for being able to sew!

Silly Kira, as if Near will give us THAT easily? He's not THAT weak!


	4. Unexpected Help

He knew this forest – it was one he'd been to a few times – and he knew the way to the airport from here. Good, now all he needed was a _phone_. He could hear running and quickened his pace, using the cover of darkness to get out safely. Once he was out in the snow, though, he threw off the cloak and ran, blending in with the white snow.

He was halfway to the airport when a hand shot out and grabbed his wounded shoulder, making him let out a cry of pain. "Holy shit, Nate! D'you have to scream so loud?!" The stranger said, covering his ears as he let go of the shivering albino. "It's been years and the first thing you do is scream?"

Near moved away from him. "Mokkhavesa…I can't stay here; I'm sorry, but I have to get back to England!" He turned to go, and then winced when the other male grabbed his arm again."Please, let me go…"

He pulled the albino boy close and stroked his back. "What's wrong, little Snowflake?" He murmured. "Why do you have to leave so suddenly?" He nuzzled him. "Stay with me a while."

"I-I can't, I have to get back to England." He pushed him away and ran for the airpost again. He was at the doors when he realized that he had been kidnapped without any kind of money, and was sitting in front of the airport when Mokkhavesa found him. "…Hi."

"Are you broke?" He walked over and knelt next to him. "You're shivering like a leaf, Snowflake. What're you so scared of?"

Near looked uncertain, but then looked up at him and leaned into his arms. "The Chosen…" He whispered softly. "I…I killed the Shaman…"

Mokkhavesa's eyes went wide and then he pulled him into his arms, picking him up as he went in. "If you're caught, you're dead, right?" He led him along and then bought two tickets for England, then led him to where they had to wait. "There's a lot we need to catch up on, Nate. I know the last time we met I was too…forward. But, I wasn't lying." He smiled and stroked his cheek. "You've given up the voodoo, right?"

"Mostly…" He mumbled. "B-But, I murdered someone…"

"Someone that was hurting you, so it's understandable, right? I'm sure your great idol will forgive you." He looked at the ceiling and sighed, then glanced at a black notebook Near was holding. "What's that?"

Near tucked it into his shirt. "Nothing important." He mumbled. "I'm not supposed to let others touch it."

"Hn…" He looked up. "Nate, our plane's here."

"Don't you need to pack, Mokkhavesa?" He blinked and looked at him.

"No, then those psychos will catch you." He pulled him along. "I can buy more stuff in England!" He said as he pulled him along to go on the plane. Near looked over his shoulder and saw Ammador run into the airport, but then was pulled to face Mokkhavesa, so he wouldn't look at his deranged cousin.

Mokkhavesa didn't let go of Near's hand until they were in England and taking a taxi to his house. Near found it strange that he was finding sanctuary in the one person he hated the most when he was younger, but didn't say anything to break the fragile silence.

"Mokkhavesa…there's something I haven't told you." He said as they got out of the taxi and it drove away.

"Well, spill." He smiled, listening intently.

"Well, I'm the new—"

"Near!" A brown-haired girl ran out and hugged him tightly. "Near, you're okay!"

"Linda, hugging…" He said, shifting slightly so she didn't touch the Death Note.

She gasped and backed away. "Sorry!" She smiled. "I forgot, you don't like close contact!"

"Is that my fault?" Mokkhavesa asked in a low voice. He then blinked as Near just walked in and went up to his bedroom. "Nate?"

"Near, wait!" Linda ran in after him.

Near shut his bedroom door and locked it, then walked over and sat on the bed, taking out the Death Note from his shirt. "Kira?"

Light peeked in from outside. "Yeah? And did I say you could call me whenever you wanted? I'm not a pet, y'know."

"No, but isn't there a flaw with dropping the Death Note on me?" He smirked a bit. "You have to be with me until my death, don't you? You may as well get comfortable, I'm not dying anytime soon."

"…" Light went back outside, fuming.

Near smiled and then opened a drawer and put the Death Note and the doll of the Shaman in it, locking it securely. "I forgot to get their picture…" He said to himself, remembering his parents' picture that he'd left in the house.

"Near, are you coming down?" Linda called, cutting into Near's thoughts. He stood up and opened the door to find her standing outside the room. "C'mon, we're gonna have some coffee and start a fire in the fireplace, you look chiled to the bone!" She took his arm and pulled him along.

"'We'?" He blinked as he was pulled along.

"Yeah, your friend and us!" She smiled brightly. "Did you know he's quite the model?"

"Hmmm.." He sat down in a chair facing the fireplace and pulled one leg up to his chest while the other hung down. He was still feeling a bit weird with Mokkhavesa here, as the man had tormented him when they were schoolmates. Why was he heping him now? He glanced over at him and gave a small smile.

Well, did it really matter? It wouldn't hurt to have one more friend.

*~~**~~**~~*

Hehe. Now you know how Ryuk felt, Light. You're stuck here until Near dies, and you expected that to be quickly? No, silly boy.

The back-story between Mokkhavesa and Near? Well, maybe it'll show up as we go along.


	5. Secrets

That night, Mokkhavesa offered to stay in Near's bed with him, but was surprised to find him thrashing about, screaming out the name of a guy named "Ryuuzaki" and begging him to stop. "Nate?" He reached over to shake him away and got his hand shoved away. "Nate…?"

"M-Mello…L…someone, help me!" Near cried, tossing and turning as he clung to the sheets. "It hurts…too hot…Ryuuzaki, please, stop! Mello, L, help me!"

"Nate Rivers!" Mokkhavesa snapped and shook him roughly, but realized too late that that was a bad move – Near had started to sob and curl up into a tighter ball. "Nate…" He sighed and gently hugged him. "What can I do to help?" He asked softly, kissing the smaller male's pale cheek. Near didn't wake, and spent the rest of the night screaming and crying, while Mokkhavesa felt helpless.

The next day, Mokkhavesa looked out the window as Near changed clothes, his gaze on nothing as he was lost in his own thoughts. He jolted out of them when Near placed a hand on his shoulder and said something, and he looked at him. "What'd you say?"

"Who's 'Ryuuzaki'?" He asked, frowning. "It's no one from Thailand, so it must've happened after 'Watari' took you away. Why didn't you come home if you were in pain?"

"It was one incident that took pace when I was eleven, and it's in the past. And it's nothing to make me desperate enough to go back _there_." He walked over and sat on the bed. "I was kidnapped by someone that used to be in the orphange I was taken to, and saved by L, who I was bait for. That orphan was 'Ryuuzaki', although his rea name is 'Beyond Birthday'."

"Never heard of him." He shrugged. "Sorry."

"He looks like L." He said softly. "But, his eyes are a ruby red, and terrifying. Those eyes haunt me in my dreams, and his laughter...it…it…" He gripped his hair and curled up, started to shivering fear. "It won't go away! As soon as the Kira case started up, I could forget it, but now…now I've remembered all of it!" He stood up and went to the closet, pulling out a stuffed, lion toy. "Because I remembered how I got this from Yagami Light, I remembered all of the pain and torment Ryuuzaki put me through!" He cried, falling to his knees. "My feet have recovered, but…but…!"

"Nate…" Mokkhavesa walked over and wrapped his arms around him. "Whatever Beyond Birthday did to you, it's in the past. And I swear, no matter what, to protect you from him!" He nodded firmly.

"Mokkhavesa Malian, Beyond Birthday tends to target people with the first and last names starting with the same letter, with Light Yagami and myself being the only exceptions." Near pushed him away gently. "He would not hesitate to kill you by any means. And while I wouldn't have cared about your well-being when we were school-mates, I happen to care now."

"Y-You care?!" Mokkhavesa smiled and then hugged him tighter. "I'm not afraid of him, I can fight!" He nuzzled the small male happily. "You like me, you like me!"

"I-I never said that! I just don't _hate_ you, as you haven't tried to rape me or anything!" He squirmed in his grasp, then both men looked up as they heard a knock on the door. He slipped out of his grasp and fixed his rumpled shirt before saying, "Enter."

Linda opened the door and smiled. "Are you boys coming down at all? I was thinking we could go out to breakfast, as this is a special occasion." She looked around, then gasped. "Oh, what an adorable lion! When did you get this, Near?" She walked over and picked it up, then blinked at the kanji on the lion's foot. "…'Tsuki'? Moon?"

"'Light.'" Near walked over and grabbed the lion from her. "And we went out a couple days ago."

"Awwww, please?" She whined, looking at both men pleadingly.

"C'mon, Nate. What harm will it do?" Mokkhavesa grinned.

Near turned on him. "Alright, fine. BUT, you have to stop calling me by my real name and call me 'Near' from now on!" He snapped, and then he turned and pulled his boots out of the closet to put them on. "s that understood, Mokkhavesa?"

"…Crystal clear, Near." He mumbled, sighing. "It's because you were with L that you changed your name, huh?"

"Everyone changed their names in Whammy's House." Linda smiled. "Even I did, and our names are our greatest treasures. If any criminals were to get them, they could use our names against us!"

"Especially with psychos like Kira around." Near nodded and walked over to them. "Alright, let's go." He walked over and grabbed his bag, which had a few toys sticking out of the pockets, and then hung it over his shoulder.

Linda nodded. "Alright, let's go!" She said as she led the way out.

Light huffed as he watched them go, then over his shoulder. "Ryuk ran off? Feh, typical. Fine, I'll watch this show on my own." He followed them, keeping close to where he could see Near. "He stands out so much, especially around these two!" He smiled and moved closer, so he could eavesdrop.

"So, where shall we go today, Near?" Linda asked, smiling at him.

"Hm…" He looked around as they neared the downtown area – thankfully, they lived near most of the shops. "How about that place we went to a couple months ago?"

"Ah, that one?" She pointed to it, and Near nodded. "Alright, I loved the food here!" She skipped over, the other two - three, really – following. She got them a table, and then they all sat down, Light taking a seat next to Near, unseen by anyone by the albino and enjoying Near's attempts to not notice him. Wow, and he thought Ryuk was annoying? Hah!

"Hey, Near. You gonna eat that pie?" Light asked, knowing that no one but Near to hear him. Near gave no indication that he could hear him and quietly ate his pie, making Light pout. "Fine, eat the pie. I'll just sit here sulking and starving." He grinned, knowing that Near definitely reply now.

To Light's utter disappointment, Near looked at the other two and ignored the Shinigami. "It's been pretty quiet…can we go to the graveyard? I haven't been to their graves since Kira was beaten." He said softly, finishing his pie before he spoke.

"Sure, we can do that. I think L would be happy to see that you've made a new friend." She smiled brightly.

He nodded. "Then, while we're in Japan, I have a friend I want to visit."

They packed up, and while Mokkhavesa packed for the trip downstairs, Near packed his own things into a suitcase and glanced up at where Light was floating upside down. "I'd ask if the blood rushing to your head hurts, but I just realized that you don't have blood anymore."

Light went right-side up. "About damn time you talked to me!" He floated over and lingered next to Near's head. "You are so annoying with how you can ignore people, you know that?"

"I've had lots of practice." He said as he pulled out white outfit after white outfit. "By the way, you're already dead. You can't starve." He smiled and then folded the outfits, putting them into the suitcase.

"Shut up!" Light snapped, rolled his eyes as he sat on Near's bed. "You seriously need more color. Maybe brown, green, or—"

"Red? Yeah, Ryuuzaki thought so, too." He said calmly as he packed in more clothes.

"Okay, enough with this whole 'Ryuuzaki' talk. Call him by that other name, Beyond Birthday. Because I get really weirded out when up until his death, L was called 'Ryuuzaki'." Light lay on his side, watching Near pack.

"I wish you did remember…" Near said softly, closing his suitcase and going to pack a few toys in another suitcase. Okay, a lot of toys. "Then I'd be able to talk about it without have to recount all of it to someone that wasn't there."

"Hmm…" Light looked over at the window. "You're already back? What'd you do, go find more apples?"

Near looked up at the window. "Ah, is that the shinigami, Ryuk, then?"

"Yeah. So, you're going to Japan, huh?" Light looked over. "Why not have his body moved to England?"

"Well, we'll be moving around a lot. L and Watari were buried in Japan and Matt and Mello were buried in L.A." He sighed. "And as for that…I'm working on having all the graves moved to England." He finished packing and then sat on the bed, opening the drawer to pull out the Death Note. He had to take it with him, due to the deal he and Kira had made.

And what did he get out of it? He got to watch Kira be upset that he wasn't dead yet. There was no way in Hell that he was going to ever USE the Death Note that had been so rudely dropped on him. If becoming a Shinigami was the fate of whoever used the Death Note, he wasn't going to take that route.

Thinking about it now, though, didn't that mean Mello was one? Would he run into him? A part of him hoped so, but another part dreaded that meeting. What would Mello do? What would he look like? Would he talk to Near, or kill him? That would certainly piss of Kira, if he was killed by another Shinigami. Where was he to go after he died? Heaven? Hell? It was an intriguing subject, but now one he wanted to dwell on while Kira was yelling in his ear.

"Near, I'm trying to talk to you!"

"Shut up, I heard you the first time." He looked up at him. "And you really should stop expecting me to reply. While you will gladly look like you're talking to yourself in public, I really don't want to have to deal with that burden." He tucked the Death Note into his shirt and then picked up his suitcases to leave the room.

"Need me to carry your bags?" Light teased. "You're so small, they must be heavy!"

"No, and they'd be floating if you did. People would ask questions, and I like to keep my secrets."

"Yeah, you keep a lot." Light mumbled as they went into the living room, where Linda already had her stuff packed.

"And I like to keep them." Near whispered, mostly to himself.

*~~**~~**~~*

Yay, that was a fun chapter. Go Near, ignore that annoying pest! *punches fist in the air, laughing*

In the next chapter, we'll see more than one familiar face. Near has a few friends to visit!


	6. Puzzles

"Look, look! You can see a seal!" Linda exclaimed exitedly, tugging on Near's sleeve. Near gave the window a glance, but otherwise ignored it. "Oh, my gosh, look at the bird! We're so high, look at it!" She looked at Near and frowned. "Near, are you paying attention?"

"Yeah, Near, are you paying attention?" Light asked, leaning over the back of the seat. "Near?"

Near kept his face blank of emotion, even though he honestly wanted to shove both of them away and go sit by himself. He looked across from them to Mokkhavesa, who was chuckling at Near's obvious displeasure of Linda's overexcitement. They were going to L.A., America, first, as Near wanted to talk to a few people he'd worked with before and wanted to work with again.

"Near! Look, look!" She tugged on his sleeve again and pointed to another bird. "It's looking at us!"

"I hope it doesn't hit the wing." Light said, watching it's numbers going down. To pass the time, he'd been watching Near's life go down, but it looked like it was going to be going for a looooooong time. Much to his dismay.

Near glanced at Light, but looked to Linda like he was just rolling his eyes. She sighed and then gave up on trying to get him to share her interest in the bird. "Oh, look! We're nearing L.A.!"

Near looked out the window as he recognized the blown-up hideout that Mello had been hiding in. He remembered seeing the explosion on the T.V. as the newspeople reported on the incident. A bomb had been set, and there were many burned bodies – but most had died by heart attack, according to autopsy of the bodies. He glanced at Kira over his shoulder, thinking. Obviously, the killer had been Kira, who wanted his notebook back. Another squeal from Linda brought him back to reality and he looked at his half-finished puzzle before he leaned forward to finish it.

After the jet arrived, they got on the subway and went to the house of Stephan Gevanni, who Near had insisted they visit. Only a moment after Near used the big knocker on the door, the door opened and Gevanni looked out at them with a look of stunned disbelief. "Hello, Gevanni." Near said calmly, nodding in greeting.

Gevanni stared a bit longer, then realized that he was staring and gasped, opening the door wider. "S-Sorry, Near! Come on in!" He said, leading the way in. "Please, make yourself comfortable!" He said as he went into the kitchen, turning on the heat so the kettle full of water would warm up. After he did that. He came back into the room and smiled. "So, what did you come here for?"

Near twirled a lock of hair in his hand. "I've discovered that there are attempts being made on my life, and I might need someone to help protect me, someone I can trust." He looked at him calmly. "I know I can trust you, Gevanni. Would you like to come under my employment again?"

Gevanni smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Near. Whatever it is, I will protect you!"

Mokkhavesa frowned as he listened to them, feeling fury at Near's getting another bodyguard. After Gevanni left the room to get the whistling kettle, he finally spoke his displeasure on Gevanni's being hired. "Why did you get a new bodyguard?! Do you not trust me?!"

"M.M." He looked at him. "S.G."

Mokkhavesa's eyes widened. "…Same letters."

He nodded. "Ryuuzaki will come after me; I have no doubts about that. He will want to be the new L. I need someone to protect me that he won't target anyway." He looked away, twirling a lock of hair in his hand. "You can still protect me, but I'd like you to not be so out in the open, please."

He smiled and then pulled him close into a hug. "You were thinking about my safety, Nate?" He whispered softly, kissing his cheek. "I'm so glad."

"Uhm…" Gevanni had come back into the room and Near pulled away from Mokkhavesa to sit by himself. "I'll start packing immediately, sir." He smiled and put cups of tea in front of them all before he went to go pack.

"Did you count on this awkward tension when you decided to call on this guy?" Light grinned at Near. Near chose to ignore him, and Light rolled his eyes and went to go play pranks on Gevanni. They could hear him saying stuff like "Evil spirits!" and "Father, protect me!" and Near rolled his eyes and went up to investigate.

Light was holding a broom and trying to attack Gevanni with it, blocked by the chair. "What are you doing?" Near asked calmly, looking straight ahead and at neither man.

"Playing." Light said simply.

"I'm being attacked by evil spirits!" Gevanni cried, still hiding.

Despite his usual attempt to hide it, Near actually started to laugh at the ridiculous scene. Linda and Mokkhavesa came up a bit later and just stared while Near, still laughing, went to go take the broom from Light and then helped Gevanni up. "Why don't you guys go downstairs, I'll take care of the 'evil spirit'." He said calmly, laughter still in his eyes.

Gevanni, who was stunned by hearing Near actually laugh for once, turned and left the room with Mokkhavesa and Linda. Once they were gone, Near turned to Light with a scolding gaze.

"I only did it because you were ignoring me." He said, floating over and sitting on Gevanni's bed.

"Kira, you have to stop this." He twirled a lock of hair in his hand. "I'm willing to put up with your harassing me and me alone, but when it carries on to others, it's just overkill." He said calmly, looking at him.

"If you insist." He floated over and played with Near's hair until his hand was smacked away by a very irritated Near. "You should laugh more often, y'know. Laughter is healthy for you."

"No, thank you." He walked out.

Light followed, keeping his hands to himself as he floated over to sit behind the couch, listening to Near tell Gevanni about how he "calmed the spirit" and that it was just a "wandering soul". Yeah, sure. He couldn't believe that Gevanni was buying this piece of crud, but maybe he was just too distracted by watching Near twirl his hair. Geez, the guy was a total FAN-BOY!

"Thank you, Near." Gevanni stood up. "I'm going to go pack, now. It shouldn't take too long."

Near nodded, and then walked over to the window, looking out it. 'Beyond Birthday is out there, somewhere…' He clenched his fists. 'So are Ammador and the Chosen. Which will find me, first?' He turned and walked over to the couch, sitting down quietly. 'I was never this worried while against Kira, but I knew who he was and where he was hiding. Beyond Birthday and the Chosen, however…' He looked ahead of him, a calm, blank gaze in his eyes. 'I know who they are, but not where they're hiding.'

"I'm ready." Gevanni came over to them, carrying three suitcases.

Near stood up and nodded. "Let's go to the graveyard, then." He then turned and walked outside. Gevanni nodded and followed, opening his car when he got outside. "Oh, right. Where have you been staying?"

"There's a hotel I booked a room at, we can drop by there first, if you'd like." Near said calmly as he buckled himself in and pulled out a puzzle to work on.

"Sure. You need to put your suitcases somewhere." He nodded. "After that, we'll go to the graveyard that Matt and Mello are in." He smiled. "That's the graveyard you wanted, right?"

"Yes, thank you." Near said calmly.

The ride was quiet, save for Light's talking to himself about how much he remembered about L.A., and Near finished the puzzle before putting it away and looking out the window, the passing city reflecting in his emotionless, gray eyes.

After a quick trip to the hotel, where they dropped off their suitcases while they were staying in L.A., they went to the graveyard that Mello and Matt were buried. Near, to Gevanni's surprise, had purchased a bouquet of yellow roses to put on the graves.

Light hovered behind Near as the younger male walked over to Mello's grave and knelt down to put down flowers. Matt's grave was right beside it, he noticed, and flowers were also put as his grave. "…So…why are these bodies in L.A.?"

"Because it was where Matt's friends paid to have his and Mello's body buried." He said softly, his gaze empty to Kira, despite the storm of emotions he was experiencing. Loneliness…anger…sorrow… He felt so much as he gazed upon these two tombstones, but said nothing about his emotions. "Kira…can I be alone?"

"No." Light smirked and leaned against a cross on a grave.

Near sighed and then reached out to place a hand on Mello's grave. "I doesn't seem right…seeing your fake name on your real grave. When I move you to England, you can have your real name back." He looked at Matt's grave. "Both of you can." He looked back at Mello. "I know you never thought of us as friends, but maybe you can accept my friendship wherever you are." He closed his eyes, going silent for a moment as a tear slipped down his cheek.

Light raised an eyebrow when he saw something wet slip down the boy's cheek and looked up to see if it was raining. While it wasn't yet, it would soon… But, didn't that mean that Rate Rivers was _crying_? He looked over to see that he hadn't wiped the tear away.

"I remember something you said to me a long time ago, Matt. You asked if I would cry for you if you were to die. Of course I would, you dummy. You're my friend, one of the few I had. Even if I didn't ever show it, for fear of you losing Mello's friendship. I did that a lot, didn't I?" He wiped the tear away with his sleeve. "I sacrificed so much…I wanted to be the next L, so I gave up friendship and my past and even love…" He looked down. "I wanted to be the next L, so I could help people. I didn't want anyone close to me to die anymore…And yet…on my first job as the new L…" He brought his hands up to his face. "I lost you two!"

Gevanni felt his heartstrings being tugged at as he saw Near crying by the graves. It was the most emotion that he had EVER seen Near display, and he felt ready to cry himself as he watched from the car. He then blinked when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Mokkhavesa giving a stony glare. "Uhm…Mokkhavesa?"

"He's showing weakness." He said coldly. "Doesn't he realize that he could be attacked at any moment?" He ran over and pulled Near to his feet. "It's getting late, and the graveyard will close soon. Have you said what you need to?" He wiped Near's tears away.

Near quietly nodded and then followed Mokkhavesa back. "Where's Linda?"

Linda came back in, wiping a tear away. "I just paid them a quick visit and left them flowers as well. It's strange; we never expected those two to die…"

"And yet, they did…" He sighed. "It's all Kira's fault." He closed his eyes, but Kira could sense the glare that was being directed at him with Near's cold tone.

The rest of the trip was done in silence, and then they were at the hotel again. Near used his key and unlocked the door, rolling his eyes when Linda said she was going to go buy him some cake to cheer him up. "Who do I look like, L?" He mumbled as he sat on the bed. Mokkhavesa and Gevanni were talking in the attached room, leaving him alone but easy to hear if something went wrong.

"Truthfully? Yes." Light said, sitting behind him. "You need a hug, little boy?"

"Don't touch me." Near growled, and then shuddered when Light wrapped his arms around him from behind. "Let. Go."

"You sure?" He grinned, but at Near's venomous glare pulled away. "Okay, okay. Geez, you're so moody."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Near said, his gaze empty as he grabbed the remote and turned on the television; deciding to ignore Light's comments for now.

Linda came back in with a chocolate cake and other sweets and put them on a table. Light recoiled from the sight – it was a breakfast suitable for L, he could tell. Near just glanced over at it before turning off the television and putting the remote on a bedside desk.

"Near, aren't you going to eat?" She started to cut the sweets into equal slices for everyone to have four. "I thought this would make you happy."

He got off the bed and walked over, looking at the sweets as he twirled a lock of his hair with his thumb and forefinger. "Linda, haven't I said that I don't like super-sweet things?"

"Eh?" She blinked, as if the thing he'd said at least a hundred times already was said for the first time today. "Oh…oops. I can go get you some salad, if you'd like."

"Are you SURE you're L's successor?" Light chided, his eyes narrowed. "I mean, not liking sweets?"

"Sweets are his thing, not mine." He mumbled. Linda was too busy serving the cake onto paper plates to notice. Near just rolled his eyes and walked over to sit on his bed again, glancing at the cake as it was put on his bedside table.

"Come on, it'll cheer you up." She said, and then she walked into the other room.

Near lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, his hands laced together on his chest. "I'm not going to eat the cake."

"Uh, Near?" Light spoke up.

Near opened his eyes and looked at where Light was looking. The cake had vanished, with only a few crumbs left. "…A ghost, maybe. It'll get Linda off my case, at least." He closed his eyes again, not bothered by the lack of cake. And wasn't Kira a shinigami, now? Why was _he_ more freaked out by it than him?

"So, we're going to Japan, next?" Gevanni said as he came in. "And where to after that?"

"Back home, to England." Near sat up and looked at the other three as they came in. "Things are pretty peaceful, right now, but we never know when I'll have to go do a case. I expect you all to be ready at any moment for anything to happen."

"Got it." Mokkhavesa nodded, walking over to sit next to Near on the bed. "I'm ready anytime, that's why I was able to get you out of Thailand so quickly." He reached over and ran a hand through Near's hair, playing with the curly locks.

"Why were you in Thailand?" Gevanni blinked. He couldn't help but feel a bit of anger at Mokkhavesa's too-friendly antics, but Near didn't seem to mind, so he didn't say anything.

"I'll tell you when it becomes important." He said calmly, shifting his head to indicate to Mokkhavesa to let go. The older Thai male nodded and brought his hand back down to the bed, shifting slightly to give Near his space.

Gevanni sat on the other bed in the room and quietly watched. These two knew each other well, better than he knew Near, and it showed in their actions. Near always had to ask Gevanni to do things like not touch his shoulder or something, but he seemed a bit relaxed in Mokkhavesa's presence before he finally simply nudged away to give him the hint. Also, he spoke of being in Thailand, but didn't tell Gevanni why, even though Mokkhavesa knew.

Did Linda know? He looked at Linda quietly, curious about this girl. Where did Near pick her up? He knew that he'd have to ask a lot of questions in order to properly protect Near. For example, who was out to get him? And why? Did he even know?

"Gevanni, what do you think?"

"Huh?" He looked over to see that Near and Mokkhavesa were looking at a fold-out list of different restaurants. 'When did that happen?' He blinked.

"When did what happen?" Near asked, looking at them calmly.

"When did…nevermind, I just spaced. I should get some sleep tonight." He stood up and walked over to look at the list, his eyes glancing at Mokkhavesa's hand on Near's shoulder. "How about Jack in the Box?"

"Are they good?" Mokkhavesa blinked.

"They're awesome." Gevanni nodded and stood up. "Should I call them, or will we drive?"

"Will it be safe to drive?" Mokkhavesa looked at Near.

Near thought a bit. He did stand out in a crowd, so it was hard to tell if it would be dangerous to go out or not. Then again, with all these people, would Beyond Birthday really attack him? He shook his head. "No, let's just stay here and order. I'd like to go outside as little as possible."

"Alright." Gevanni said, picking up the phone and dialing the number listed. After taking everyone's orders, he hung up and then looked at Near. "They'll be here soon, Near."

"Thank you." Near got off the bed and walked into the bathroom, leaving the other two in the room. He'd acted like he wasn't bothered, but he was. _Someone_ had eaten that cake, and it wasn't him. It couldn't be Ryuk, he would have seen Kira eating—Kira. Kira had to have seen what had happened. He had pointed it out, so he had to know, right? He waited a bit, then stepped further into the bathroom and sighed. "Kira?"

"Yes, Near?" Light came out of the wall, hovering behind Near. "Did you call me?"

He turned to him. "Did you see who ate the cake? You alerted me to it, after all."

Light thought a bit. "Hm…I saw someone, but I didn't really recognize them. And their face was hidden, so that didn't help." He shrugged. "Ghost, shinigami, I don't know. There's no name and life-span to look at."

"Some help _you _are. Was Ryuk this useless?" He sat on the bathtub and pulled up one of his legs to sit in his usual position. "Whoever it was, they appeared after we went to the graveyard, and they seem to like chocolate."

"Or they were just hungry." Light shrugged. "When do we go to Japan?"

"Tomorrow, at the earliest. We need rest and time to prepare to go again." Near said, twirling a lock of hair with his hand.

"You need to stop doing that. You could wreck your hair!" Light said, his expression saying how oh-so awful that would be.

"I don't want to stop." He said calmly. "And you can't make me." He looked at him. "You really didn't recognize the person?"

"Nope." He shrugged and then left Near alone. "You eat and get some shut-eye; I'm gonna go see what Ryuk's up to."

"Have fun." Near mumbled, and then he got up and left the bathroom.

*~~**~~**~~*

Well, that was certainly an interesting chapter. Guess who the stranger is? *grins* If you can't figure it out, then you'll just have to wait until the next chapter to find out.

Review, please! Reviews make me update!

They also bring us closer to finding out if we're gonna meet B soon or not~!


	7. Japan

They left the hotel early in the morning, and then went to Japan. Linda dozed in her seat, which was a welcome silence, but Light, Mokkhavesa, and Gevanni were all awake with Near. And Near seemed deep in thought, constantly completing and then undoing his puzzle as he tried to make sense of what was running through his head.

He visited Mello's grave, and then an unknown shinigami - or ghost - started to follow him – according to Light, that is. But, it weirded the ex-god out enough that Near doubted it was a lie. There was also the missing chocolate cake that the stranger had eaten. He was in the graveyard, maybe, and he liked chocolate cake…

His hand halted on a piece and he glanced at Light, who was sitting behind him as usual and looking bored. Something seemed to have caught his attention, though, because he was looking straight across from him. Near glanced over just in time to see a chocolate bar vanish into thin air.

From what had happened so far and the events he knew had happened during the Kira case, he could gather that there was at least a 71 percent chance of that shini-ghost being Mello.

He was broken out of his thoughts by Gevanni asking him a question that startled him. "Why didn't you call the other two? Why only me?"

Nea'rs gray eyes shifted from where Light was looking to where Gevanni sat. "Because, they are both very busy as it is. You, however, seemed to have plenty of time on your hands." He smiled a bit. "And I knew that you would be willing to protect me."

"For selfish reasons." Mokkhavesa muttered in Thai. Near shot him a cold look and Gevanni just looked confused. "Don't act like you don't notice, Nate. He's definitely after you—"

"In the same way you are?" Near asked in Thai, glancing at him boredly.

"What?" Gevanni blinked. "English, please?"

Near looked at him. "We're almost at Japan now." He said calmly, his gray eyes reflecting the sights of Japan. 'Japan…where L lived and died during the Kira case. His grave is here with Quillish Whammy's, and will be moved later to England.' He glanced at Kira hovering next to him to look at the window. 'Kira's homeland…'

This was also the place of another incident...

"_Nate…"_

No, not again. Not here. He tried to take the memories away, but they insisted on staying.

"_Please, Ryuuzaki…Let me go…"_

"_No. Not until __**he **__is here."_

"_I'm scared…"_

"_It won't hurt you to show emotion every now and then, will it, Nate?"_

Ryuuzaki's cold laughter rang through Near's head, making him shiver a biot. His feet had long since recovered from the abuse, but they stung every time he remembered. And…that infected wound on his upper-arm…

"Near? Are you alright?" Gevanni's voice broke him from his thoughts and Near looked over and gave a small nod. Gevanni relaxed and then looked out the window. "So many memories…look, there's the area with the Yellow Box Warehouse!"

The Yellow Box Warehouse…

Near remembered that day vividly, and he glanced at Light as he recalled the shinigami's biggest mistake: Saying "I win" before Near was dead. He'd counted his chickens, but they didn't hatch the way he planned. And it was those two simple words that had sealed Kira's demise.

_I win._

He sighed and looked back out the window, taking in the sights and somewhat grateful for Linda's being fast asleep. She'd be so noisy right about now…

They landed and then Near reached out a hand to shake Linda's shoulder. "Linda? Linda, we're here."

"Nnnn…?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Oh, we're already in Japan?"

Near nodded and then packed his puzzle into his bag before standing up. "Let's check into a hotel tonight and go to the graveyard tomorrow morning." He said calmly, walking over to join his two bodyguards.

"That's a good idea." Gevanni said, nodding. "Should I call ahead and arrange for one?"

"Yes. A room on the top floor of a 5-Star." Near said calmly. "And it could be a good idea to watch for Ryuuzaki, but we can do that just fine."

Gevanni nodded and then he pulled out his cell-phone to make the arrangements. After a few hours, they arrived at the hotel and checked into their room. Gevanni saw Near walk over to look out the window and walked over to join him. "Why so high, Near?"

"He'd have to be inhuman to climb up to this height." Near said calmly, and then he stepped away from the window. "And I want to take as many precautions as I can. I'm going to expose myself to the open air and anyone at L's grave. There's at least a 78 percent chance of his being there."

Gevanni nodded, and then he slowly reached out to touch his shoulder. He felt him stiffen up and then relax under his hand. "It's alright. I'm going to protect you." He smiled, looking down at the smaller male. He'd never thought that Near would so openly show emotions, but when he was with Mokkhavesa, he shared them easily. He smiled, laughed, talked…

He felt a bit envious.

Near looked up at him and smiled. "It's alright, Gevanni. I was just…" He looked out the window again. "…I'm not fond of being touched." He said softly.

"Mokkhavesa touches you." Linda pointed out. "How come you don't flinch when he does?"

"They have a point, Near." Light said, hovering near Near's shoulder.

"We share something special." Mokkhavesa said, grinning as he lay down on the bed. "That's why. Maybe it has to do with coming from the same town? That, and we're really close, so close that you can't imagine!"

"Mokkhavesa." Near turned to him and walked over. "Are you telling them lies? In case you forgot, I used to cringe at your voice. I only stop trying to push you away because I know by now that you don't EVER respect my personal bounderies!" He then turned and walked off to pull out a puzzle to work on.

Mokkhavesa winced at Near's cold behavior. "…Ouch. Yes, sir, I will refrain from pissing you off and getting the law to banish me. Or at least a restraining order." He stuck out a tongue at him, poking at his being the new L. "Since when have you been interested in puzzles?" He got off the bed and walked over, kneeling next to him.

"Since I entered Whammy's house." Near said calmly, and then he glanced at where Light was hovering by Gevanni. "It would be wise to not make ourselves stand out when we go out. I'll need darker clothing and a hat."

Light looked over and floated over to him. "When are you gonna be ready to diiiieeee?" He whined, even though he knew that Near wouldn't reply to him right now. That was what really sucked about being around Near. And he wasn't even letting others touch the notebook!

"You're boring." Light scoffed.

Near shrugged and ignored him, but another voice spoke that only Light could hear…

"Yes, he is, isn't he? He was always that boring, even at Whammy's House. Near is just not an interesting person."

Light's eyes widened, but he said nothing. He didn't want more questions from Near, after all! Still…who was that guy? And why was he _**following**_them? It was giving him the creeps!

Near glanced at Light and then stood up, going to the bathroom, only giving the slightest indication for Light to follow by nodding his head slightly. Once they were alone, Near closed the door and turned to him. "What is the matter, Kira? You seem upset by something."

"That guy's still following us." Light said, hovering in front of the mirror. "Kinda' creeps me out, and I still don't recognize him."

"I'm sure all will be revealed in time." Near said calmly. "Stop being so apprehensive. Is there anything you want to eat?"

"Potato chips?" Light grinned.

"I'll arrange for some to be delivered, but you can only eat them when we're all asleep, or in the bathroom when no one's using it." Near turned and walked out.

Light frowned. "I can see why Ryuuk had trouble when it came to me." He muttered, and then floated through the door Near had just closed to find everyone preparing for bed.

Everyone…but him and the other one. That strange, blonde stranger…

Later on, after they were all in bed, Light hovered over Near's sleeping form and frowned. 'The guy is someone that knew him at Whammy's House…could it be…?' He looked over at the blonde stranger, who was standing by the window with a hawk-like gaze. '…Could it?'

The next morning, Near had breakfast delivered as they prepared to visit L's grave. He had to face it, he was also fixing his hair to try to make himself look better. After all, the last time he'd been in front of that grave, he'd laughed and looked so mean! But, there was no need to look mean here.

And, if Near was right, they'd find an indication of Ryuuzaki chasing after him there. If he was right.

Which, Light thought bitterly, was often the case. Thus why HE was the one following Nate Rivers around. That. Really. Sucked.

"Let's go." Near said, once they'd finished their breakfast. As they left the room, Light noticed that the blonde stranger took a side-route to leave the building before them. Near, who was now dressed in casual clothing of blue jeans, a white jacket, and a gray sweater to cover his porcelain skin. He was also wearing a dark-blue winter hat that hid his amazingly white hair. His feet were covered by white boots, and his hands were covered by white gloves.

All in all, Light had to admit, he was pretty much hidden from anyone that knew what he looked like. If only he could hide those wretched L-looking eyes, he'd be perfect. But, didn't the fact that he was always dropping his eyelids halfway do that?

Touta Matsuda, who had volunteered to drive them to the graveyard, looking at him and blinked. "…Is that really Near in there?"

"Yes, Matsuda-san." Near said as he got into the back seat with his two bodyguards. Linda sat in front with Matsuda and Light sat on the top of the car, 'cause he could and he WANTED to! "You know where L is buried, correct?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I was…there at his burial." He wiped his eyes and then started the car, driving off to the cemetary that they'd laid the detective and his old caretaker to rest so many years ago. In the rear-view mirror, he could see Near looking out the window quietly, one hand fidgeting with a strand of hair that poked out of the bottom of the hat.

"Stop here." Near said suddenly, and Matsuda pulled to a stop and parked in front of a flower shop. Then he waited while Near and Gevanni went out to get some flowers to put on the graves. Near looked at the flowers quietly, trying to think of what L would like. Had L even ever expressed liking flowers? What flower should he pick?

He finally formed a bouquet of irises, cosmos, and yellow chrysanthemums for L, and then handed it to Gevanni to hold while he looked at what to pick for Watari. After a bit of time, in which Gevanni was starting to shift and look at his watch, he picked out yellow chrysanthemums and cosmos and formed those into a bouquet as well. Then he took the bouquets from Gevanni and walked back to the car, holding them gently so as not to crush any of the flowers.

After they got in, Matsuda drove to the graveyard and smiled a bit as he he drove. "Maybe I should have gotten some flowers, too. Are we in a hurry?"

"We might be in a hurry to leave." Mokkhavesa said, looking at the graveyard as they neared it. "If the danger Near is sensing actually shows up."

The car pulled to a stop and they all walked out, walking to L's and Watari's graves. The only people that didn't walk were Light and the blonde stranger, but they didn't NEED to walk. They could fly everywhere, after all. It was a very serene moment, as Near knelt and lay the bouquets down in front of the gravestones and sat quietly for a bit. Matsuda also knelt in front of the grave to have a moment of silence for the two of them. Linda also joined them, and Light could've sworn that he saw the blonde stranger bow his head in respect.

He looked around slightly, and then also bowed his head in respect. Mokkhavesa was the only one not bowing with respect, and that was most likely because he didn't give a hoot about L or what he did for his old classmate.

After what felt like forever to Light, Near finally stood up and turned to go back to the car, the others following his lead. When they got the car, though, the graveyard owner ran over. "Is there a 'Near' with you?"

Near looked over and blinked as he was handed a bouquet of daisies and an envelope. "For me?" He looked it over and frowned. "No indication as to who it's from…"

"Let's go back to the hotel and look at it." Mokkhavesa said, walking over to lead him into the car. "Did you see anyone you knew here?"

"No…" He frowned. 'They must've known that I would be coming, though. Mello? No, I don't think it was him…' A feeling of dread came over him and looked at the flowers. 'Daisies…they represent innocence, or purity. What does this mean?' He looked at the envelope and then leaned back in the seat, letting out a sigh. "I'm a bit anxious…"

"The person must've suspected you were coming, or was already there." Light said, looking at him. "But, I didn't see anything."

Much as he'd like to reply and continue the conversation with the obnoxious shinigami, he wasn't going to. No, he'd mull over what Light had said in his head for a while, and look at the letter. Hopefully it would help him understand…

Daisies…

Kira didn't see anything…

And a letter, adressed to "Near". No one knew that he was coming…

So, who were the flowers from?

As soon as they were back in the hotel room, he pulled out a letter-opener from his bag and held it upside down, letting a single piece of paper fall to the floor, folded up. "…" He put down the envelope and picked up the paper, and his breath caught in his throat as he read what it said:

_**Lawli had a little lamb.**_

_**It's hair was white as snow.**_

_**And everywhere that Lawli went,**_

_**The lamb was sure to go.**_

_**Little lamb, Lawli is dead. Where are you going to go now, hm? You were the first and now you are L but, soon enough, you'll be nothing but a memory.**_

_**~ Beyond - "Rue Ryuuzaki" – Birthday**_

_**P.S. How's your arm? I notice that your feet recovered, at least.**_

"Ryuuzaki…" Near paled and let the paper fall from his hands as he fell against the bed, both Gevanni and Mokkhavesa running over to see what was wrong. To answer their questions, he picked up the paper and handed it to him, his eyes shaking in silent fear. 'He was there…he saw me…that's the only way…he saw me at L's grave, he knows that I'm the new L…' He rolled onto his side as he thought this, his eyes closing. '…"soon enough, you'll be nothing but a memory"…It figures that he'd want me dead…' He thought, trying to calm his rapidly-beating heart.

"Freaky…" Gevanni muttered. "Should we let that Matsuda guy know about this?" He looked at Near.

Near pushed himself into a sitting-up position and shook his head. "Let's not get more people involved than necessary." He said, his calm demeanor returned, but Light saw his hand subconciously move to touch where he knew a really bad scar was on his upper arm. "We should get out of Japan as soon as possible. We don't need to trouble the Japanese Police again. We already upset them enough during the Kira case."

"Alright." Gevanni nodded.

Linda smiled. "I'll go order food, you guys stay here, alright?"

"Alright." Near said, getting off the bed and started to work on his puzzle. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm gonna go take a shower." Mokkhavesa said, walking into the bathroom, leaving Near and Gevanni to talk alone if they so wished.

Gevanni read and re-read the letter, but only came up more confused each time. "Who's 'Lawli'?" He looked at Near.

"I don't recognize the name, but he could be referring to L, judging by the rest of the letter's contents." He looked over at the daisies. 'Innocence…purity…why send those to me, Beyond Birthday?' He thought, twirling a lock of hair in his hand. 'It just makes no sense…'

"It looks to me like a death threat." Gevanni spoke again, walking over to stand next to Near. "Why would he want to kill you?"

"He was very fond of L. I took L's place when he died, and I suppose he's a little angry. It doesn't help that, because of me, he lost L the last time he had him." He said calmly, his gaze on nothing in particular. "If I had just been a good hostage…but, no, I had to try to escape and took Light with me." He looked down. "…Light is dead…Light was Kira…" He glanced at Light, who was looking over Gevanni's shoulder to read the note. 'Kira doesn't remember…'

"Well, it's a bit creepy." Gevanni said, putting the note down next to Near. "Who knows what he'll do…"

Near was about to speak, but the sound of shattering glass cut him off and Gevanni pulled Near away from his puzzle as a knife landed right in the middle of it. Near's eyes widened as he saw the knife and then he looked towards the window, his face pale.

"Ryuuzaki…" He breathed, his hands gripping Gevanni's shirt slightly.

*~~**~~**~~*

DUN-DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUUUUUN! DUN-DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!

Right. That sounds much better in music form, but whatever. Glad you guys stuck around this far, and if you're confused about how B found N so quickly, it'll be explained in the next chapter, along with the seemingly unrelated daisies.

Yes, Gevanni gets to see the madman first! Protect Near, Gevanni! He's gonna need it!

Reviews bring another chapter, so please read and review, kthxbai!


	8. AN and rewrite snippet

Your attention, please! I'm going to be rewriting "Bitter Memories" because I think it's going way too fast, and Near recovered from his rape in Thailand FAR too fast for my liking! I also want to get some facts straight, and just have them going to Japan 'cause that's where Mello and Matt are really buried.

It will also be getting a name-change, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd like them to offer me them. In the meantime, while I am planning this rewrite, "The Wall", "Pureblood", and "Paradise in Hell" will be updated. Mostly the first two, though, because I adore how well they are going.

Since there's a rule against just having Author Notes without a story, here's a small snippet from the re-write I'm planning:

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Near lay on the priest's bed quietly, his eyes half-closed as his breathing steadied. He vaguely heard the preist say something before he left, something about "heretic" and "ungrateful brat". He didn't really care. He slowly turned his head to the side and closed his eyes, willing sleep to come. Even if he had more nightmares about Ryuuzaki…

'It's better than being awake for this pain.' He thought bitterly, trying to block out the pain all over his bruised, battered, and violated body. Stupid, pedophilistic preist…

Something hit his leg, cutting into his thought, and then he opened his eyes to see a strange, black object that rang a bell in his foggy head, and then a voice that made his eyes widen spoke:

"Geez, you're in a sorry state."

Near winced and slowly sat up, looking around. "…Kira?"

Yagami Light, A.K.A. "Kira", floated out of the wall, large, black wings slowly folding into his back as he landed on the floor, looking at his former opponent. "Yes, it's me." He picked up his Death Note and then pulled a blanket over Near's body. "Makes me feel bad, seeing you so humiliated." He looked at him. "But, I'm going to offer you, my worthy opponent, a deal."

"A deal?" Near frowned and looked at him. "What…deal?" He glanced at the door that led to the rest of the temple.

"Whenever you feel like you've had enough and want to die, let me know." Light grinned. "I'll grant your wish for you, Near."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

So, yeah. Let me know if you think of any other names for the story. Thanks for enjoying this version of the story, full of plot-holes as it was. '-';;;


	9. Chap 8: Beyond Birthday

Okay, I decided to have a go and continue this, and maybe work on a rewrite after it's done, if I'm that upset by how it turns out.

Hope people are still watching this.

*~~**~~**~~*

He wasn't much different from the last time that Near saw him. He still had the terrifying, red eyes, and he only looked older, if there was ANY change in him. He still looked frighteningly like L, and he was holding what looked like a mace, which he must've used to smash the glass. Behind him, a helicoptor hovered in the air with someone Near didn't recognize driving it.

B grinned and stepped closer to Near and Gevanni, tossing the mace aside to discard it on the floor. "It's been a while, Nate. Why don't you come with me, and I'll spare your dear little entourage?" He held out a hand, beckoning Near towards him. "You can grab a toy, if you want, and bring the flowers I gave you."

"Near, no." Gevanni shook his head, holding onto him tighter. "Don't risk your life!"

"Now, Stephen Loud, is this really any of your business?" B placed his hands on his hips. "You don't know the half of what me and little Nate have done together. You can't come between our divine chemistry!"

Gevanni's eyes went wide at B's words and held Near protectively. "You can't have him! Especially if you've…if you…"

"He hasn't done anything like that to me." Near assured him shakily.

"Yet." B smirked. "Let's goooo, Nate!"

"No!" Gevanni let go of Near turned to face B. "You'll have to fight me to get to him!"

"Bring it." B grinned. "I haven't had a decent fight in years!"

Gevanni ran over and threw a punch, which B dodged, and then let out a yelp of pain as B grabbed his wrist and held it behind his back, grabbing the other one as well. "The hell?!"

"You still have about 30 years to live, if you get out of my way." B hissed into his ear. "And the numbers are counting down."

"Numbers?" Light sounded startled. "Life-numbers? He's right…30 years left…oh, fuck…"

Near gave him a questioning look.

"Shinigami eyes." Light explained. "They—" He was cut off by a loud scream of pain from Gevanni and the sickening sound of bones breaking.

Near paled as he saw Gevanni crumple to the floor, his arm hanging limply at his sides. 'Ryuuzaki's not human!' He thought, his eyes shaking in fear as he took a step back.

"Well, now." B clapped his hands together and then looked at Near. "Let's go, Nate. Grab the pretty flowers and a toy and get in the nice helicoptor."

Near gave him a cold look and ran over to kneel next to Gevanni. "Gevanni, are you alright?"

"You should've just stayed alone." B smirked and then reached for his mace, the bathroom door opening as Mokkhavesa ran to attack him. "Less people would die, if you stayed alone!" He swung it at the Thai, forcing him to back away and rethink his actions. "Just come with me, Nate, and your dear little friends will live!"

"No, don't!" Both his bodyguards said, but another sickening crunch that sounded as Mokkhavesa was slammed into the wall with the force of a baseball against a fast swing of a bat made up Near's mind and he stood up to pick out his Optimus Prime toy and then he walked over to pick up the daisy bouquet.

B threw the mace aside and turned to him, opening his arms as Near came over to him, scooping him up in his arms with ease. "You're still so tiny, Nate. Are you really 18?"

Near didn't reply and just closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see his bodyguards trying to get up to save him again. 'Goodbye…' He thought, and then he felt wind through his clothes before he was placed inside the helicoptor and buckled up, preventing any chance of escape as B sat next to him and shut the door.

"We all done here, B?" His driver said, looking over at them. "We got what we wanted?"

"Yeah." B smirked and draped an arm over Near's shoulder. "We have what we want, let's head home."

Near shifted slightly as Near draped his arm over his shoulder, but said nothing in protest. He glanced at B and then looked out the window that he wasn't blocking. 'I wonder if Kira's following…' He thought, closing his eyes as he looked down. He was startled out of his thoughts by B pulling him closer and handing him some sort of drink. '…I don't think it's poisoned…' He thought, looking at it.

"Drink it." B said coldly. "No protests."

"I'm not thirs--!" He was cut off by the glass pushing against his mouth and he had to force himself to swallow or drown. Then he let out a gasp as the glass was pulled away and coughed, trying to get out excess water. "W-Why did you…you…" He swayed, things blurring around him, and then reached up to clutch at B's shirt as everything went black.

A few hours later, Light caught up to the helicoptor as it made it's landing in front of what looked like a warehouse from outside but was actually the first floor of a big ex-mafia base. Near was carried in by B while his accomplice activated all the doors, the flowers and toy lying in Near's lap. They went lower, and then his accomplice seperated from him as he went to lay Near down on a bed.

What happened next kind of disturbed Light. B went over to a dresser and picked out what was obviously L's clothing – they were smaller, though. The clothes he wore when he was younger? – and then he carried them over to the bed before he started to unbutton Near's shirt, quirking an eyebrow as he found the Death Note tucked into an inside pocket of the shirt.

Not wanting to be seen, Light ducked into the wall and quietly watched as…well…B got disturbing. And how long would it take to remove that hair-dye? Ugh!

A few more hours later, Light hovered over Near's sleeping form and then blinked as he started to stir. "I better make myself scarce." He said, ducking into the wall avoid being seen.

"Nnn…" Near shifted as he started to wake, and then he sat up, his hand going to his head. Gawd, he had a headache… 'Must've been the drug in that drink…' He thought, slowly getting off of the bed he'd woken up in. He noticed it first when he hit the floor – he was barefoot. He looked at his clothing and frowned. '…Why am I in L's clothing?' He thought, one hand reaching up to twirl a lock of his hair. It lowered as soon as he saw the color, though, and he ran over to the mirror he could see that was on the wall. As he stopped, the image of L stopped. He held up a hand, and the image of L did the same.

'…This is beyond creepy.' He thought, shuddering a bit. Then he heard footsteps and quickly went back to the bed, lying down as he was when he first woke up. The door near the mirror opened and someone walked into the room. Near kept his eyes closed to keep up the illusion of being asleep, but he could tell by the voice who it was.

"Still asleep? And here I thought that I underdosed." A hand gripped Near's chin and then a thumb stroked his lips, parting them slightly. "Or, maybe you're only pretending? Lawliet used to do that a lot." He leaned over and then met Near's lips with his own. "Pretend to sleep…because he couldn't." He murmured, and then the kiss was broken. "And now, he can't wake up. All I have is second-best, but it'll do." A hand slid down Near's front and then slipped under his shirt.

"Ah…" Near's quiet gasp came out unbidden and he inwardly smacked himself for it. 'Ryuuzaki's hands…so cold…' He thought, forcing himself to remain keeping up the illusion of sleep. 'Why are they so cold?'

"Stubborn, aren't you?" B smirked and then he leaned over to lick Near's slightly-parted lips before he kissed him again, his tongue entering Near's mouth and making him let out a muffled whimper. "I'll make you wake up." He whispered as he broke the kiss, smirking as Near's heavier breathing. "Time to wake up, Lawliet."

'"Lawliet"? "Lawli"…L?' Near thought, his eyelids quivering as he felt B's tongue on his neck, sliding up his skin. "Nn…ahh..s…"

"Hm?" He stopped and then looked at him. "You awake yet? Wake up soon, or I'll make you." He stood up and grabbed Near's wrist. "I mean it, I will force you to wake up."

"Nn…"

A small groan was all that B got in reply, and he shrugged and threw Near into the wall, the cry of pain as gray eyes flashed open in shock a MUCH better reaction, in his opinion. "You awake now?"

"Yes, damnit!" Near snapped, pushing himself up as he got to his feet. "I've BEEN, as I'm sure you noticed, and you didn't have to throw me into the wall!"

"Well, you weren't showing it." He smirked and walked over to standing front of him, one hand sliding up his body to finally rest on his cheek. "My beautiful masterpiece…Lawliet is dead, but at least I have Nate, the second-best." He leaned in and, before Near could protest or move away, pinned Near to the wall with a deep kiss, his hands pinning Near's wrists roughly to prevent escape.

"Nnn…nnnn!" Near struggled to escape, and then bit down on B's penetrating tongue, forcing him to yelp and hit Near to make him let go so he could pull away. "What the hell, Ryuuzaki?! I thought you wanted me DEAD, but you're pretending I'm **L**?!"

He smirked. "You were already so much like him, anyway. I just fixed up a costume for you." He pulled out a poccket knife and flipped it open, grinning. "Now, we're going to play a game. Protest, or run away, and I'll give you worse than what you got the last time we met!"

Near paled and slumped against the wall, quivering slightly as the memories hit him hard. "R-Ryuuzaki…Please…reconsider…"

"No." B laughed, and Near recognized it as a shinigami's laugh, – 'So, that's where I've heard that kind of laugh before…Ryuuzaki did it…' He thought. – and stroked Near's cheek in a freaky manner with nothing but lust in his eyes. Lust for L, not Near. It scared Near that B would use him for something so…disturbing, instead of just killing him. "I've done all the considering I need, and I really do want to do this. It's a punishment for you, and a pleasure for me." He laughed again and then pulled Near away from the wall, slamming him into the bed before he held the knife at Near's neck before lowering it, moving it to where the old scar was.

"Ngh…" Near's eyes closed as he tried to calm down. "…If I play this game with you…how long will it last?" He finally got out, using as calm a tone as he could manage in his current, panicked state.

"As long as I like, Lawli." He cackled and then started to tug at the bottom of Near's shirt. "You're a smart boy; you won't try to deny me my pleasure."

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Call me B." He looked up at him. "'Ryuuzaki' is such an old alias. You can call me 'B' now." He continued to tug up Near's shirt, revealing more of his pale skin. "Sit up, so I can take this annoying thing off." He moved off of him, letting him do so.

Near slowly sat up and held up his hands, letting him tug off to the white sweatshirt and expose his bare chest to the air. "What about the scar?" He asked, keeping his tone void of emotion.

"Hm? What scar, Lawliet?" B asked, looking at him.

"N-Nevermind, B." Near looked away, his eyes shaking. B wasn't listening…he had to play this game with him, or suffer. Even if he didn't want to take L's form, he had to. 'I wish I had a choice in the matter…' He thought, fighting back tears as B kissed down his body. 'I wish…!!' He let out a sharp gasp of pain as B kissed the scar, cutting into his thoughts.

"Whoopsie!" B said in a sing-song tone. "Forgot how sensitive that spot was, Nate!" He nuzzled him. "Sorry, that was my fault. I'll try to avoid it so the game isn't disturbed again, okay?"

"A-Alright." He nodded shakily, still feeling the stabbing pain in his arm. "C-Can't I do anything else for m-my part?"

"So shaky." B stroked his cheek. "You okay, Nate?"

"Just…the pain…" He reached up slowly and gripped B's sleeves. "What can…I do?" He may as well do something, since sitting around and waiting wasn't getting them anywhere. "A-And am I allowed to ask questions?"

"Depends on the questions, and I'll ask you one for each question you ask." B grinned and then lowered himself to undo Near's pants, humming to himself.

"Who was your accomplice?" Near asked, his hands on B's shoulders and gripping slightly.

"No one special. Just someone I'm working with." B said, shrugging. "Can I ask a question, now?"

"Sure…" Near nodded.

B stood up and walked over to a closet, reaching in and pulling out Kira's Death Note and something similar. Then he walked over and held out Kira's Death Note. "What is this? It's a lot like my killing log." He showed him another Death Note, and Near's eyes went wide.

"Death Note." Near said, looking at him. "How long have you had that?"

"Since I was born, I guess. Same with my crazy eyes." He pointed to them. "What's a 'Death Note'?"

"A tool for murder." Near said, looking at him. "And…you said 'eyes'…can you see numbers above my head? And my name?" Had Kira told the truth, earlier? Speakings of which, where WAS Kira?

"Yeah, how do you think I knew your name before you said it? Why, what do you know?" He leaned in, looking into Near's gray orbs. "Do you know the answer to the question I've been asking all my life?"

"What's the question? And those are known as 'shinigami eyes', and are usually dealt to a human by a shinigami in exchange for half their life-span. The Death Note also belongs to a shinigami, which is how I got mine." Near explained. Good, he was buying time. But, was this really any good? Were the others coming at all?

"What's a 'shinigami'? And how do you know so much? And my question is…" He leaned in, so he could whisper in Near's ear. "How can I see when people will die, and why? And why can't anyone else?" He smirked. "Naturally, at least."

"I…don't know why you have the shinigami eyes, since you don't know what a shinigami is. And how do I know so much?" He reached over and picked up Kira's Death Note. "Did you ever hear of 'Kira'?"

"Yep. He killed L." B said, sitting next to Near to look at the notebook as Near opened it to look at all of the blank pages. "It's not very full, is it?"

"He was using a Death Note to kill people. And actually, according to Ryuk the shinigami, a shinigami named 'Rem' actually killed L and Watari to save Kira's and the second Kira's lives." Near looked down. "…Mello, Matt…they both died in that case. All so I could finally catch Kira…"

"Poor unfortunate souls." B shrugged and took the Death Note away. "So, why was it in your shirt, of all places?"

"Because I wanted to keep it on me, so Kira couldn't steal it back. That is his Death Note, and he is a shinigami." He smiled a bit. "Bound to me, until I beg him to kill me so he'll write my name."

"What happens if he writes your name?" He was examining the Death Note now. "You die, right? How do you die?"

"40 seconds and it's a heart attack." Near nodded. "But, he can also write down some fancy way for me to die and, personally, I'm not going to give him the pleasure of writing my name down." He reached for the L shirt, feeling a bit cold in here.

His movement towards the shirt seemed to remind B of the other game and he put the Death Note down before going over to pull the shirt away. "Nuh-uh! We just paused the game; we're still playing!"

"Sorry…was a bit cold…" He frowned. "Can I ask a few more questions?"

"Sure." He leaned over and kissed his neck, making him let out a soft gasp. "Ask away."

"Ahh…" He clutched at B's shirt-sleeves. "H-How did you know where I was?"

"I saw you in the graveyard, and…" He smiled and then pulled away, going over to the daisy bouquet, pulling out a tracker from within it. "I hid the evil in the innocence."

"I see…" He nodded. "But, why send me daisies? I'm not…innocent." He looked away. I'm not even…clean anymore." He shuddered, memories flashing back as he recalled that priest's hands on him. "I'm…filthy…" He curled up in a ball, his head bowed as his arms wraped around his knees, his body quivering. He'd held out for so long, but the humiliation and painful memories were catching up with him as he felt his defenses fall away. B always broke through his defenses so easily… 'Why?' He thought, hiding his tears with his arms and knees.

B blinked and walked over to place a hand on his quivering shoulder. "…Nate?" He blinked, confused. What was making Nate Rivers, of all people, quiver like this? Of course HE'D done that before, but he hadn't done so much to make him curl up like he'd been raped and…

Oh, shit.

"Nate…" He bit his lip and turned away. What the fuck was he **doing**?! He shouldn't be feeling pity and compassion for L's replacement! 'Fuck this, I need jam!' He thought, and then turned and left the room in a huff. 'Damnit! I can't play the game if he's already been hurt like that!' He thought, slamming a fist into the wall. "Damn!"

Someone had sacrificed the innocent lamb before he could.

Someone had crushed the daisy, forcing it to quiver and shake on the ground.

Nate Rivers used to be so full of pride, and so strong-willed. Now, he was just a…

Crushed daisy…

"Fuck…" He growled, leaning against the fridge. "How can I hurt him NOW?"

His daisy had already been crushed, with nothing but wilted petals left to wither away. He wanted to be the first to destroy that innocence, hurt him in the worst way possible, but now…

'What was the point of all of this?' He thought, clenching his fists before he opened the fridge, pulled out a jar of strawberry jam, and started to eat it sloppily, getting jam all over his shirt. 'I can't have my revenge against him by abusing him like I abuse L if he's already been abused like that!'

Light was actually finding this display of emotion and compassion highly amusing, but he made sure to stay out of his sight, well aware that he'd touched his Death Note and could see him. 'Beyond Birthday, you're really amusing.' He thought, shuckling inwardly. 'What's Near up to?' He turned and went through the wall, going back to the room Near was in.

Near was lying down under the blanket on the bed, his eyes closed as he silently soaked the pillow with tears. 'I'm weak again…I have to stop being so weak…' He thought, one hand clutching at the pillow.

Light was about to talk to him, but had to dart into the wall again, due to B coming into the room. He put the jam on a desk and then he walked over, looking at Near quietly. After a bit, he finally spoke. "So…how long were you intending to hide it? Until I found out that you weren't a virgin when I fucked you?"

"I didn't want anyone to know…" He said softly. "Only a few people know…Kira…the priest, who I killed…and a few others." He looked at him, wiping his eyes. "I can handle any torture you put me through, B." He leaned forward, glaring at him. "I. Am. Not. L."

B narrowed his eyes and slammed him into the bed, pinning him down roughly with one hand while the other yanked away the blanket. "You will be L for this game." He hissed, undoing Near's pants and then yanking them down before he undid his own. "And you're not going to resist."

'No!' Near thought, but he only shifted to try to get him off. B responded to this by trapping his lips with his. "Nnnn!" 'I'm not L!' He bit his lip and B bit him right back, making him wince in pain. 'I don't want this!' B's hands roamed over his body, stroking lower and lower until Near finally tried to kick him off, not wanting him to touch any lower. "Nn!" 'I won't let this happen to me again!' He thought, closing his eyes tightly as he bit him again.

B finally broke the kiss and looked at Near. "You're really stubborn." He frowned and then grabbed Near, pushing him into rolling over. "But, I can handle stubborn, Lawli-pop!"

"Stop!" Near snapped, glaring at him. B ignored him and started to position Near for entry. "Stop it, B!" He clenched his fists on the blanket. It was a long-shot…even if he was there, would he help? He had to take that chance. "Help…" He closed his eyes tightly, shivering as he felt B's fingers go to his entrance. "MELLO!"

"THE FUCK?!" B was thrown off of Near and into a wall, all by some invisible force. He slumped to the floor and whined in pain as he held his head. "Owww, a ghost hit me, Lawli~!"

Near sat up and started to redress, then winced as he felt something hit his head before another Death Note fell from his head to the bed. "H-Huh?"

"Took you long enough to call for help." A familiar voice spoke as a leather-covered hand placed itself on his head. "You'd think a kid would learn after so long that it's just fine to call for help!"

Near looked up and smiled as he recognized the blonde, scar-faced, leather-clad blonde that had worked with him, if only briefly, during the Kira case. "Mello!"

B's eyes widened as he listened and then he narrowed his eyes. "There are TWO shinigami here?!" He stood up and walked over to Near, reaching out a hand. "Give."

Near shook his head and held Mello's Death Note close, and then let out a sharp yelp as Mello suddenly lifted him into the air and held him close. "M-Mello?!" He looked up at him. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious, you git?" Mello rolled his eyes and then spread his wings as he lifted into the air, narrowly avoiding B grabbing hold of Near's leg. "Helping you!"

"B-But…don't you hate me?" Near asked, confused. The last time they'd met was during the Kira Case, and Nar was pretty sure that Mello said that he still hated him at that time. What had changed?

"YAGAMI, let's GO!" Mello yelled as he sped off for the door, kicking it open with one steel-toed boot as he flew out of the room.

"I can't find my Death Note!" Light whined, coming out of the room. "Where IS it?!"

"Here, stupid." Mello held up Light's Death Note and put it in Near's lap. "Now, let's GO."

"You—that was my chance to get it back, and you FOILED it!" Light snapped, flying after him. "And now we have Near FLOATING, because no one else can see us, and we're under the GROUND, and how are we gonna get him out?!"

"Shut up, Yagami, and knock out the guys we pass! Grab a cell-phone, so Near can call and tell the others about what happened. Oh, and make sure Beyond isn't going to follow us all the way home. Kick him in the head or something." Mello said as he smacked away the oncoming guards with one hand while the other held Near close.

"I hate you so much." Light grumbled as he smacked aside guards trying to grab Near. "I can understand why Shidou was stuck working for you…" He grumbled. "Where the fuck is Ryuk, anyway?!"

"I dunno." Mello shrugged, bouncing Near in his arms a bit and startling him. "Whoops, sorry."

"I-It's okay." Near mumbled, and then he let out a slight whimper as they got out into the sunlight, the sun glaring down into his eyes. "Nn!"

Mello put him down and then knelt next to him. "You okay, Near? Did that weirdo rape you before I got here?"

"Nah, he just dressed him up like L and said a bunch of creepy, stalker things." Light said, leaning against a tree. "Pretty messed-up guy."

"He's done worse." Near said softly, sighing. "My clothes are still in there, but I can get new ones once I'm safe."

Mello nodded and then hugged him close. "Thank goodness…" He whispered, his face buried in Near's shoulder. "I was so afraid that I'd lost you, too…" He held on tighter. "I couldn't find him anywhere…Matt…"

"Maybe he's in heaven." Light suggested. "He never touched the Death Note, after all." He stepped away from the tree and walked over. "Did you get any of his hair, Nate?"

Near shook his head. "Didn't get the chance, I was always unconcious or pinned down." He sat down and curled up.

"Well, he won't get you again." Mello growled.

Near nodded and closed his eyes. "…Thank you, Mello." He smiled slightly. "I was…hoping that you were the unknown Shinigami following me."

"Heh." Mello grinned. "Who else?"

Near nodded and then felt himself be lifted up again, his eyes meeting leather. He was safe, for now, but for how long? After all, B was not the type to give up. Either he would die, or he would **become **L, in more than just the title.

He reached a hand up and softly traced the area his old scar was. He wasn't looking forward to their next meeting…

*~~**~~**~~*

Yes, I know it was long – 10 pages – but I originally had chapter 9 beginning with Near's questions, and I didn't really wanna just cut it off, so it was extended.

As you can see, Near's daisy thing was explained and we got some hot Shinigami!Mello action. XD I hope people enjoyed it, and eviews would make me very happy!

So, review, please? Or, Near will never reach the end of this nightmare!

Poor Light, still can't get his Death Note back. XD


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